Minnesota Swindler Sent to Federal Prison

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota man who once pretended to be a Scottish lord has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for stealing more than $2 million from victims who thought they were investigating in a startup satellite TV network.

Colin Alexander Chisholm pleaded guilty to mail fraud in January. U.S. District Judge John Tunheim handed down his sentence Wednesday.

Prosecutors say the 65-year-old Chisholm used his false persona to bilk at least 38 investors out of more than $2.1 million dollars. He used the money to support a lavish lifestyle instead.

Chisholm was sentenced in 2015 to nearly two years in prison in a separate welfare fraud case in state court. He and his wife lived in a Lake Minnetonka mansion and owned a yacht while illegally collecting welfare benefits.